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Page 409
would be sensible for us to commit to him in men and money."
"Remember, Ian, that you have the matter of the three castellans to settleand there is also Sir Peter of Clyro. We will need men here, too," Alinor interposed.
Salisbury looked at Alinor in amazement. She had been so still, except for that one admonishing look she had cast at him, that he had forgotten her existence, as he frequently forgot Ela's. That Alinor should interpose a military suggestion was odd enougheven Ela, whose wit Salisbury respected deeply, had never done that. Even odder was that Ian took it as a matter of course, merely assuring her he had not overlooked the matter.
"I had intended to call out Simon'sI mean, Adam'sother men as a levy, Alinor. I cannot see that the king will engage in any new war this year, so I will not need them for that purpose. And it will be salutary for them to fight under my orders and to punish those others who were once their equals, until they broke faith."
She thought about it, her lips moving a little, then nodded. "It should be enoughabout five hundred men, I make it. The keeps are small. I doubt they hold more than one hundred and fifty or two hundred, even stuffed and garnished."
"I make it only four hundred, or a little over," Ian agreed, "but you may be nearer right than I. As for Sir PeterI am still not certain he is unfaithful. Assuredly, he must be tested, but not with an army, Alinor. What will that tell us except that he knows when an overwhelming force is facing him? So he might well yield in order to be able to work his own will another time. I will need to go with own troop only, as if, perhaps, to visit Llewelyn. Then, if I smell trouble, I can use my Welshmen and call men in from the north."
"Can you levy upon your men to fight my castellan?"
Ian smiled faintly again. "I am not sure what it says in law, but those devils will not argue point of law with

 
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